Participant in the regional “Young Person of the Year – 2026” competition “Leaders of Knowledge” category: Yelizaveta Oliinyk
For Yelizaveta Oliinyk, weightlifting has become both a profession and her life’s work. She is a Master of Sports of Ukraine, a mother of two, and a native of Kramatorsk. She first stepped into a gym at the age of eleven, and today she has over ten years of experience as a coach and instructor.
Currently, Yelizaveta works as a coach and instructor at the municipal institution “Regional Specialized Children’s and Youth Sports School of the Olympic Reserve in Weightlifting.” At the school, she organizes competitions, training camps, and educational events, and also conducts outreach work: she shares stories about her students’ achievements and encourages young people to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Another focus of her work is promoting women’s weightlifting. Through her own example, she challenges stereotypes and prejudices about the sport, demonstrating that regular training instills discipline, self-confidence, and strength of character in young women.
With the start of the full-scale invasion, Yelizaveta Oliinyk organized the evacuation of the Kramatorsk weightlifting team to a safe region of Ukraine. This made it possible to preserve the athletic potential of the Donetsk region and ensure that children could continue their regular training and develop in their chosen sport.